Hi guys I been on here before and have always recieved wonderful feedback so I thought I would come back again.

So here it goes last week I was in the hospital with bad stomach pains and they found cysts on my ovaries. One on my left and one on the right. Luckily the one on the right broke but the one on the left was the size of a egg. For about five or six days before I went to the hospital I was in so much pain I was having a hell of a time sleeping and even laying down. Every time I turned on my side I had this charlie horse feeling across my lower stomach and i couldnt lift my leg up to prop it up cause it hurt to much. Well like I said I ended up going to the hospital and the doctor and nurses were all very helpful and nice. I am currently on Loratabs 7.5/325 six a day. I informed the doctor at the hospital that I had been taking a few extra due to the pain and not being able to sleep. I also have a lot of back problems and fused ribs that cause my back to swell and stick out on the right side making me in so much pain i cant sit or stand or lay down and NOTHING helps. Well I faxed my doctor a few days early on a refill for them and I knew they were early but figured if he had any questions he would call me to talk to me like he has done in the past. He knows I have no insurance so cant go to a specialist to fix anything and cant go to pain management. We tried consulting with surgeons and others doctors but they said they wont touch me due to possible law suits because of my past surgeries. I also been fighting with public aid trying to get some kind of insurance so I can get off these meds. Well my doctor calls and in the 8 years I have been seeing him have never heard him raise his voice or anything . I am 100 % truthful with him never lie and completely honest when it comes to my meds and things. Well when he called he sounded really Pi**** and was kinda yelling. Saying I was taking way to much medicine that not even dying cancer patients take what I am taking. By this point I was speechless. I have discussed with him in the past that the meds im on havent been working as well as they once has and I been on this dose for three years. He doesnt want me to moved up to anything stronger because he is worried about addiction and my liver which I agree with him on. He told me when he called what should I do move you down to the 5 mg ones cause i think your addicted! This seriously broke my heart cause he knows I been fighting tooth and nail to get insurance so someone will see me so we can get this fixed. I told him i was waiting to hear back from the insurance and it sounded almost like he was accusing me of lying like I wasnt doing anything to help myself. I explained calmly i didnt think the 5 mg would help at all if i am already having trouble with the 7.5 not really helping. By this point I was choking back tears cause i couldnt understand why he was so mad. I understand he is worried but its MY LIVER im worried too! Im suppose to go see him next week for the follow up from the hospital and I almost dont want to go cause i feel like I did something wrong. Like Im a criminal or something like Im bad cause Im in pain Due to this pain being so bad I have been very depressed and often cry myself to sleep. I dont know what to do anymore. Why do I feel like I am wrong??

Sorry for this being so long and thank you to anyone who has stuck it out and read it I just need some advice.

If I could ask a huge favor for you to edit your post and put it into some paragraphs? It's really hard to read like it is and I also want you to get good responses...thank you so much

I know you are hurting...and I'm sorry for what you are going through..I can give you a few suggestions based on my own experience and also being friends with my PM Dr. outside my appts...

I completely understand that when you are hurting, it is tempting to take more medicine than prescribed...but this will only lead to more trouble down the line..

Firstly, the DEA is now watching extremely closely all Dr.s who prescribe narcotics...when you call in for early refills...it also looks badly for the Dr. to keep prescribing them early to you..he has to answer to them by providing paperwork to show why you are being treated, what you are taking, how long, how much and what other non narcotic options you are using.....so that is one possible reason your Dr. seems upset..

I didn't quite understand if you also received pain medication while in the hospital? Most states are implementing the Prescription Monitoring System and your Dr. can be alerted if you are given any other pain medications by another Dr. Not sure if you have signed a pain contract with your current Dr. or not?

Another suggestion for next time...that unless you come in through an ambulance to the ER...is to actually contact your Dr. before you head to the ER....Ask him if there is anything that he recommends you do...Even if it's after hours...you can speak to the on-call Dr. and let them know..This way...they are completely aware of what is going on and you can also let the ER know that you spoke to your Dr. and he said to go to the ER as well...Again...doing these types of things will always bode well for you as a pain patient..And with a contract like I have...it actually has to be done as I am not allowed to accept pain medicine from any other Dr. except in an emergency...

I do understand your ovarian cyst pains...During my 20's and early 30's...I would have them rupture all the time and it was horrible! The first time I had no clue what it was and the pain was on the lower right hand side so I went by ambulance to the ER as they thought it was appdencitis...They did the ultrasound and found numerous cysts and the blood after rupturing...

The only good part for me was knowing what was actually happenning from there on out and to not panic each time they ruptured and know the main pain would dissipate after a few hours...The bad part was it would cause adhesions to form after each rupture...so then I would have pain with those as well. I ended up having 3 separate laprascopic surgeries over those years...The first one they went ahead and took out my appendix as it was being tangled by the adhesions and fear of rupturing...the next two times were to cut out the adhesions and remove some of the larger cysts..However...as it's known more now...each surgery causes more adhesions!! I wasn't given anything for pain during those years except taking some Advil..

So...long story with that as soon as I went off daily birth control...I stopped having cysts rupture! Still have adhesions but that pain I can handle..So make sure you are seeing an experienced OB/GYN to help you figure out a good plan to handle these..

Also you mentioned swelling in your back...Are you also taking an antiinflammatory medicine? I know it sounds silly but sometimes Advil will actually help much better with that particular type of pain than the opiates...Each medicine is for specific type of pain...the acetaminophen in your Lortab is not meant to reduce inflammation...

I can't remember if you have had MRI's for your lower back?

And I apologize for not knowing what type of Dr. is the one treating you with the Lortab? What is he treating...is it for the cysts? I can write a bit more later once I know if you have spine issues to as I have had 3 cervical fusion surgeries...so I know a bit about it...LOL..

Again...I know you have pain...all of us on the boards do and we understand...I just think that you will have to find a way to work with your Dr. and also do other non narcotic modalities and medicine to help get the pain lowered...Since calling in for an early refill more than once a year because of travel or an emergency I'm afraid is not the answer...this will end up causing more trouble than it was worth taking a few extra for the moment..As I mentioned...calling him first...and seeing if he will allow this...is key...I know you aren't meaning to...but doing this often can 'mimic' someone who is addicted to the medicine...and yes...that can scare your Dr. too as he has to monitor your progress and is responsible for you..as in most Dr.s do care about us..

Ok...sorry for typing so much!...I truly am wanting to help and any other questions you have feel free to ask...I have learned so much as a pain patient for over 10 years and being friends with my PM to see things from the other side..

I also have a few questions. We know from your post that you are taking 7.5/325 Lortab but how many of them are you being given on a prescription? How many are you supposed to take, and how many are you actually taking? You hint that you have requested early refills before, if so, how many times have you done this?
If you were out before you went to the ER, and faxed in a request for a new refill, then went to the ER, wouldn't it have made more sense to go see this doctor since the office visit would have cost you far less money than being seen in the ER and now being admitted inpatient in the hospital. Did you go to the hospital for pain management? Because that's what it sounds like you did.
If you have been seeing this doctor for 8 years now, and been a pain patient for some time, then you know that you are never supposed to just take more medication on your own , without calling and discussing that with the doctor first. It doesn't matter that you think that you should be able to, if the pain is that bad, then you either need to be seen , or at the very least call the doctor and get his permission before taking more medications.
The reason that he's probably angry is that it does appear from your words that this isn't the first time that you have requested early fills on the meds, and then you took more than you are prescribed to take on your own.
We have to understand that the doctor needs to justify the reason that he is giving you pain medication to the DEA, state and at the same time, it is their license and livelihood on the line each time a patient doesn't stick to the rules. It is not just dangerous to you, it is dangerous to them as well.
I hope that you can get this straightened out but it sounds like he is going to dismiss you or not prescribe any further medications at this point.

Thanks guys for the responses they are very helpful and I see what you are saying. Sorry I was not clearier in my previous post.

Im being treated my GP doctor I have had since I had the surgeries when I was 14. Thats when I originally started the vicodin and we started at the lowest dose 5/500 mg. Im not sure what the original script was for but i know i only took 3 a day if that since it was for post op. I would say a year after those surgeries we found out through a battery of tests MRI's,Xrays,CT scans etc... that I had nerve damage through out my back and I also had a fused rib from when my ex bf broke my ribs and they fused together. When I was a baby I had surgery on my lung for a collapsed diaphram and they pinned everything down. Due to the scar from that my back is not able to drain properly like your skin is suppose to picture a damn and all the water building up behind it and thats whats going on with my back and thats why it swells.

I tried everything else he wanted me to do before I tried narcotics for the back pain. I went to physical therapy,two different pain clinics,muscle relaxers,anti-inflammatories,nerve medications,lidocain patches,anti-depressents,tens unit everything and nothing worked. It wasnt even touching the pain.

We talked about what else we could do and he said possibly surgery to clean out the scar tissue and freeze the nerves. Well when he went to talk to the doctors at the hospital about it they literally laughed him out of the room. They said not one of them would risk there careers a law suit or my life for fear of killing me to go in and do it due to the past surgeries I had.

When I went to the hospital I knew it wasnt a appendicitis cause I had that removed years ago but i thought it might be something to do with my intestines. When I had gotten sick I had three stomach surgeries and had a infection that was killing me. I was in the ICU for a week dying from it and they pumped me full of ten of the strongest narcotics trying to make me comfortable. Thats why I have such a strong tolerence now to medicine.

I get prescribed 120 for 20 days so 6 a day. I usually only take 6 sometimes 5 unless its a really bad pain day then I could take 8 which the doctor knows about and has taken into account. Right now I have no insurance and no specialist will take me so I cant fix this right now which sucks cause I dont want to be on them.

I told him too I understand he is worried I wasnt trying to risk his job or my lfie. He has done nothing but bend over backwards for me and I appreciate that immensly cause I dont know another doctor who would do that. Im not suppose to take any kind of over the counter anti inflammatories due to the tylenol already in the vicodin and my past surgeries he thinks it would be to much on my stomach and he dont want anything to happen.

My spine is also curved and sticks out slightly at the bottom from when I was sick in the hospital laying up in bed for a month a half. I would of called the doctor the day I went to the ER but he wasnt on call that day and they would for no circumstance page him to let him know. So I asked if the report from the hospital could be faxed to him so he could see what was going on. I didnt ask or accept any pain meds at the hospital the only thing she gave me was a 600 MG Motrin. She also gave me a prescribtion for motrin but I didnt fill it cause I cant take it. I dont have another doc who prescribes meds nor would I ever have two docs prescribing me meds I know how much trouble you can get in for that.

I have to see my doctor on thursday and Im hoping we can figure something out. I told him before if you told me standing on my head in the corner reciting the alphabet backwards and juggling would stop this pain I would do it. I get why he is worried trust me I would never do anything to jepordize his job. I get a lot of " druggie" looks from pharmacist and other doctors when they find out what im taking cause of my age but its cause they dont believe someone my age can be in so much pain. Which is complete crap. Pain doesnt discriminate who it targets.

Thank you for your responses again and I hope this helps just looking for some advice. Hope this finds you having a pain free day!